A Q&A with new Tampa Bay Buccaneers GM Mark Dominik

MOBILE, Ala. — The freezing temperatures and biting wind made conditions uncomfortable at the Senior Bowl workouts Tuesday. Dressed in a turtleneck and Buccaneers jacket, general manager Mark Dominik made it clear he's also just getting warmed up in his new job.

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Dominik will interview former Rams coach Scott Linehan today for the offensive coordinator position, agent David Dunn said. Quarterbacks coach Greg Olson also will have an opportunity to make his pitch.

Dominik knows that with 32-year-old coach Raheem Morris, the youngest in the NFL, the offensive and defensive coordinator positions are extremely important. He vows the Bucs will take their time with those decisions.

The Bucs have spent the past seven years in a West Coast system of offense and more than a decade in a 4-3 defense. Dominik and Morris say they're keeping an open mind, and closed lips, on their preferences.

Is hiring an offensive and defensive coordinator a priority?

Our idea with Coach is to just formulate our list right now. If we have an opportunity to talk to anybody here, and it makes sense, obviously we'll do that. But we're not in a rush. I want it to be the right fit. I don't want to feel like we rushed into a decision right now. I think these hires are very important. So in that case, we'll get a sense of what the situation is and what's all around it, but we're going to take our time and make sure we do this the right way and it's going to be a lot of input with Raheem and the coaches on staff as well.

Is there a system of offense you prefer over another one? A philosophy of running or passing the football more?

I think we're willing to listen to what different people want to say about what they want to do and feel what meshes right with what we want to do. So I think instead of me answering that, I'd rather let people tell me what they'd like to do.

You've been a 4-3 team for well over a decade. Will the defensive coordinator's scheme need to match the philosophy you've had or could there be a change?

I think exactly how we're handling offense, we want to handle defense. I'm not here to give answers to the test. It's compatibility, it's comfort, it's those things we're looking for right now in our coordinators.

Will Greg Olson interview for the offensive coordinator's position?

Greg Olson is under contract and I think he's a very talented coach. Right now we're going to look everywhere, including internally. I think everybody deserves that. We're just going to look everywhere.

Antonio Bryant is a free agent and was your leading receiver. Will you use a franchise tag on him if you're unable to re-sign him before he is able to test the market?

We've got a lot of time between now and free agency to worry about that. We obviously understand he was a very productive player for us. Hopefully, we can work something out.

What about the quarterback position? Is there a chance for Jeff Garcia to return to this team?

I think it's going to have a lot to do with, again, who the coordinator is. With those guys, we're not shutting any doors on anybody who has been here or who is here. I think it's only fair to every player on this roster that is under contract or isn't, that we're not shutting any doors on anybody right now. We're going to try to compile the best 80-man roster we can.